Rebecca Adlington will be showing off her culinary skills in Celebrity MasterChef.

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Olympic swimmer Rebecca Adlington is hoping to make a splash in the kitchen on this year's Celebrity MasterChef in one of the strongest line-ups yet. The gold medallist from Mansfield will be joined by another famous face from Notts, Googlebox vicar, the Rev Kate Bottley, in the bid for culinary perfection.

Rebecca, 28, is used being in at the deep end - last year the mum-of-one came crashing out of reality TV programme The Jump after dislocating her shoulder.

Rev Bottley, who previously appeared on Celebrity Mastermind, tweeted today's announcement that she'd signed up the BBC1 series "despite not really being a proper celeb or indeed a chef."

They will joining the line-up of 18 other stars hoping to impress hosts John Torode and Gregg Wallace.

During the first four weeks the stars will be competing in groups of five and they will have to tackle the Mystery Box Challenge and prove they can cope with anything as they are thrown into hot water when they cook in a professional kitchen for paying customers. The five then return to the MasterChef kitchen, where they will have to prepare a two-course meal for the judges. One contestant is sent home at the end of each episode.

Vic Reeves

Other challenges facing the successful contestants as they progress in the competition include a skills and knowledge test and a mass catering challenge where they will have to cook for large numbers of people at venues which include The Oval cricket ground, King's College Dental Institute and the Francis Crick Institute.

The battle for a place in the semi-finals will also see them having to cook for past Celebrity MasterChef winners, including last year's champion Alexis Conran.

During a 90-minute finale, the three finalists will face the Chef's Table, led by Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton.

BBC commissioning editor Carla-Maria Lawson said: "Every year we are blown away by celebrities' gastronomic prowess and this year doesn't disappoint.

"The line-up is one of the strongest we have ever seen and we hope it will entertain and tantalise viewers in equal measure."